Online Community

Summer Camps in Action!

Maggie Butchko

Summer Camps here at Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis have been underway for around a week now and we are so happy to have begun! Girls ages 6 to 14 have come to camp at Vision Academy to challenge themselves, enhance their physical ability, inspire creativity and encourage themselves and others to take risks. Strong Camp (June 12th- June 16th) has just finished and we are in the middle of Smart Camp (June 19th- June 23rd)! Strong Camp was focused on building atheltic ability, learning basic tips and techniques to keep yourself safe, participating in fun ways to exercise and being inspired by nutrition and healthy living!

This week, in Smart Camp, we are focusing on learning how to code with Coder Do Jo, exploring careers in the technological fields, and being creative and inspired through reading and being a community leader!

We can’t wait for our upcoming Bold Camp (June 26th- June 30th) and Inspired Camp (July 3rd- July 7th, excluding July 4th)! Bold Camp will feature ways to discover your inner beauty and boost your self-esteem, become an entrepreneur by developing your own business model, defining beauty in your own terms and uncovering how media promotes a false sense of beauty! Our final Summer Camp, Inspired Camp, will be the final way to exhibit your personal talents and showcase your inner beauty. It’s a great chance to wrap up your learning about your own definition of beautiful, and learn about the amazing women we have locally!

I went to go visit the Strong Camp last Tuesday to watch our girls in motion and I was so impressed by all of the interesting and creative things going on. As I got there I went first to the gym where I saw a group of older girls (12 to 14-years-old) practicing tennis. The volunteers were spread out to help the girls perfect their swings and make sure they understood safety. The second room I went to were the youngest girls (6 to 8-year-olds), who were discussing with the volunteers what hypothetical situations felt safe or dangerous and what strategies could be used to get out of a dangerous situation. Finally, the last group of girls (9 to 11-year-olds) were discussing what being a good friend meant to them and what were qualities of a bully. It was amazing to watch these young girls grow as individuals and firmly give their opinions for each activity.

Each of these Camps strengthen aspects of our mission to inspire girls to be strong, smart, and bold here in the greater Indianapolis area. We can’t wait to see how the rest of the summer progresses!